How do the European teams qualify for the Club World Cup?

The revamped FIFA Club World Cup takes place this summer, as 32 of the best teams in world football ascend on the USA for the newly formatted tournament. 

The best of Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania will contest the trophy, all live on DAZN, but how did the teams from each confederation qualify for the Club World Cup? 

We look at how the teams from Europe booked their place in America this summer. 

What teams from Europe will be part of the Club World Cup? 

There are twelve different teams from Europe making the journey to the States. 

• Chelsea
• Real Madrid
• Manchester City
• Bayern Munich
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Inter Milan
• Porto
• Benfica
• Borussia Dortmund
• Juventus
• Atletico Madrid
• Red Bull Salzburg

How did these teams qualify? 

UEFA were allocated 12 teams, with the three most recent Champions League winners, Real Madrid (2022 & 2024), Manchester City (2023) and Chelsea (2021), automatically qualifying.

The remaining nine spots were then determined by a ranking system that took into account results over the last four seasons. 

This ranking system was laid out by FIFA and used across the Champions League performances, where they were awarded points based on how far they got in the competition. 

• 2 points for a win
• 1 point for a draw
• 4 points for qualification for the group stage
• 5 points for qualification for the round of 16
• 1 point for progress to each stage of the competition thereafter

Those points were calculated and the remaining nine spots given to the highest-placed teams.

However, a caveat was also put in place to allow only two teams from one nation to appear. This is why the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona will not be present at the tournament, despite placing above teams such as Benfica and Juventus in the rankings pathway. 

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup live on DAZN

Sign up now for a free DAZN account to watch the Club World Cup, starting on Saturday, June 14.

Or, if you are already a DAZN subscriber or Freemium member, then the tournament is part of your current membership.

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Join now to watch the FIFA Club World Cup and other sport for free on DAZN. Sign up here.

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• FIFA Club World Cup: The continental champions looking for world glory
• A guide to the 12 US Club World Cup venues
• How to watch the Club World Cup on DAZN